Sturmhaven
Sturmhaven, formally known as the Kingdom of Sturmhaven, is a sovereign city state located on the northern coast of Lower Saxony, Germany. One of the world's smallest recognized nations, Sturmhaven is a major tourist and shipping hub with a population of roughly thirty-two thousand, 70% being of German ancestry while 20% are French and 10% Spanish. Sturmhaven uses the Euro as its official currency, the national language being German with Germany also its source of national defense. The Frost Lily is the national flower. History During the thirteen year conflict between the fall of the Salian family and the rise of the Hohenstaufen as the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire Sturmhaven's lord, Erik Rheingen, declared independence and was reluctantly granted it by Lothair III after his rise. Sturmhaven was officially recognized as its own nation in 1438. After the fall of Napoleon Sturmhaven decided to remain independent, the Rheingen family regaining power and rejecting offers to formally join the German Confederation. In 1886 there was an uprising after the first queen of Sturmhaven, Severina Rheingen I, had a woman publicly executed on crimes of trying to seduce her husband the Prince. Sturmhaven Castle was destroyed and two years later a constitutional monarchy was formed, Severina I relinquishing the throne to her daughter Charlotte II and serving time in prison. Sturmhaven was occupied during both World War I and World War II but suffered little. It was in 1976 that the sitting Minister of State was outed as being a Communist spy. 1976 would be the last time a Sturmhaven royal would flex any political power from their ideally figurehead roles, using a loophole in the constitution to have the Minister removed from power before pushing to have it amended. In 1985 Sturmhaven opened its largest resort and casino yet and became a major tourism location, greatly boosting its economy. The German Republic took over military defense of Sturmhaven in 1998, the same year the country formally joined the European Union and adopted the Euro as its currency. The sitting monarch, Severina Rheingen II, took the throne in 2003 after the death of her mother. Economy Sturmhaven is a major port along the northern German coast, being a popular mid-point for ships destined for Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway or the UK. While having little contact with France or Belgium Sturmhaven does have a shipping route directly to London. In addition to shipping Sturmhaven's tourism and financial sectors are very strong, in part thanks to its lax laws on gambling, drug use and general banking regulations. In addition to being considered a possible tax haven the city's major casinos offer private rooms for drug use and even allow certain competitions considered illegal in other European nations. It is very common for cruise ships to be in the nation's waters, in particular gambling cruises. Marijuana, Morphine and Opium are considered legal for recreational use, though the former two only in designated areas, and Heroin is still outlawed. People As a city-state, all of Sturmhaven's people live within the city. While a fair number of the population are German in ancestry there are also a great deal of French and Spanish people present, many as a result of families seeking asylum during European wars. Surnames beginning with 'R' are very common among the German-born Sturmhaven people as many celebrated families in the nation's history had a name that started with the letter. As Sturmhaven is a Constitutional Monarchy the monarchs are effectively figureheads. Primarily ruled by Queens, the spouse of the Queen is still recognized as King but is considered often inferior, the title holding less respect in the nation than it would elsewhere. The heir apparent to the throne is the Crown Princess, with any of their siblings Princes or Princesses. Cousins and other such relations to the royals are Dukes and Duchesses, while families deemed noble by the royal house can be both Counts and Countesses as well as Barons and Baronesses, Sturmhaven not having any use for the title of Earl or other common noble titles. Anyone given a noble title is considered a citizen of Sturmhaven and a protected one. The Sturmhaven House of Ministries runs the nation, there no lower or upper house due to the country's limited size. The Prime Minister is effectively the highest office in the land, with the Sturmhaven monarchy having less technical ability to manipulate the parliament than other comparable monarchs. The only real way the monarchs can defy the House of Ministries is if they make someone a noble, as that grants the person protections whether the House of Ministries agrees or not. The Sturmhaven government departments include: * Prime Minister's Office * Cabinet Office * Ministry of Business and Tourism * Ministry of Housing, Development and Transport * Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport * Ministry of Education and Labor * Ministry of Environment and Health * Ministry of Energy * Ministry of the Treasury * Ministry of Defense * Ministry of Justice Law Enforcement and Defense Sturmhaven's police force is known as the Sturmhaven Royal National Police, or SRNP. There is one primary SRNP plaza and then four small offices located throughout the city. The SRNP typically employs around one hundred and twenty officers, all of whom are trained in both advanced grappling techniques and parkour due to Sturmhaven's condensed urban layout. The police force typically uses German equipment, their standard sidearm being the SIG P229. The Minister of Public Safety and the Commissioner are the SRNP's senior officials. The Royal Family's bodyguards consist of members of the SRNP as do those employed by the government. For national defense Sturmhaven primarily relies on private military contractors and the German army, though there is also a volunteer militia and the Sturmhaven Royal Border Guardians, or SRBG. The Minister of National Affairs has a Secretary of National Defense manage the SRBG and militia as well as any private contracts. Despite lacking any military aircraft Sturmhaven does have anti-air defensive weaponry, placed in the 1990s by a private contractor. Beyond the SRNP, militia, and SRBG, Sturmhaven has the Storm Guard, a small unit trained by international contractors and mercenaries to act as the country's special forces. The Storm Guard are often overseen by a Grand Master or Grand Mistress, who is a member of the royal family. Locations Sturmhaven Palace is a landmark location within the country, being the home to the royal family as well as the location of the largest garden of Frost Lily flowers. The royal grounds are twenty acres and cover one of the largest areas in Sturmhaven. Duchess Canal is a series of villas located on the waterline where rich socialites can live, parking their boats next to their home. The Canal was built near Duchess Island, where cousins of the royal family live. Not far from Duchess Island is Dourhold, an older island home also typically occupied by members of the royal family. Significant Residents Claudia Schiffer.jpg|Severina Rheingen II Queen|link=Severina Rheingen II Erin Richards.jpg|Franziska Rheingen Crown Princess|link=Franziska Rheingen Toni Garrn 2.jpg|Sonja Rheingen Princess|link=Sonja Rheingen Georgina Haig 2.jpg|Ishold Rheingen Princess|link=Ishold Rheingen Alyson Hannigan 2.jpg|Alina Rheingen Duchess|link=Alina Rheingen Katharine Isabelle.jpg|Sabrina Rheingen Duchess and Grand Mistress of the Storm Guard|link=Sabrina Rheingen Valerie Wyndham 2.jpg|Gratia Rheingen Duchess and Model with Cordelia Modeling Agency|link=Gratia Rheingen Diana Krall.jpg|Johanna Raske Prime Minister|link=Johanna Raske Alicia Lagano 5.jpg|Tatjana Reiniger SRNP Sergeant|link=Tatjana Reiniger Sarah Harding 2.jpg|Gisa Reitz SRNP Officer and Bodyguard to Franziska Rheingen|link=Gisa Reitz Miesha Tate 5.jpg|Ursula Reiniger Interpol Agent|link=Ursula Reiniger Melissa Anderson 2.jpg|Katja Alberink Europol Officer|link=Katja Alberink Natalie Zea.jpg|Svana Stone Stone Enterprises Supervisor|link=Svana Stone Julia Ormond.jpg|Melania Braga Bank President|link=Melania Braga Vanessa Marano.jpg|Diosa Braga Banker|link=Diosa Braga Laura Marano 3.png|Dorita Braga Banker|link=Dorita Braga Sarah Stock.jpg|Felipa Leroy Mercenary|link=Felipa Leroy Category:Locations Category:Cities Category:Nations